History of Canoe Creek State Park
Industrial History
Geologic formations in and around today's Canoe Creek State Park are rich in limestone.
This limestone was extracted and used for many purposes, including supplying a raw material for the once thriving iron and steel industry of Pennsylvania.
The park has several old quarry operations around Moore's Hill.
Once mined, the limestone was taken to a kiln and heated. Two calcining plants (limekilns) operated in the park during the early 1900s:
The Petersburg spur of the Pennsylvania Railroad traveled through what is now Canoe Creek State Park to connect the lime kilns with the mainline railroad.
The Blair Limestone Company Kiln remnants are the focus of historical and interpretive programs and displays. This company was a subsidiary of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Park History
Canoe Creek State Park was developed during the Project 70 expansion era of state parks and was dedicated during 1979.